Meeting on Impact of Tour Buses
The Police Department would like the opportunity to meet with more residents and merchants along the Alexander/South/Second/Richardson corridor regarding the impact of the tour buses. The Department wants to share information on their efforts to minimize the negative impacts on the residents up to and including regulations from either the California Public Utilities Commission or the City of Sausalito.

Representatives from the Police Department are offering to meet either at someone’s residence or at the public meeting room at the fire station. Please contact SPD Captain John Rohrbacher at either 289-4177 or jrohrbacher@ci.sausalito.ca.us for more information.

The Police Department would also like to remind residents that there will be an update to the City Council on the tour bus topic on Tuesday, May 6.

Reducing the Impact of Rental Bicycles in Sausalito
In past years, the City of Sausalito has seen a steady increase in the number of bicycle riders coming into the City and then taking a ferryboat ride back to San Francisco. As the number of riders grows, so does the concern for safety issues involving the interaction of bicyclists, vehicles, and pedestrians. In addition, the number of bikes coming into our City has exceeded the capacity of the current bicycle parking areas.

With summer just around the corner, the City has taken proactive measures to increase tourist safety, find additional bicycle parking and encourage additional ferry runs.

After meetings with local merchants and careful review, Chief Jennifer Tejada and Public Works Director Jonathon Goldman proposed a pilot project to improve upon last year’s changes. This plan, which includes the closure of Tracy Way for bicycle parking, was presented to the City Council and approved. This closure has allowed staff to add additional bicycle parking in the downtown area and reduce the interaction of bicycles and motor vehicles. During this closure, El Portal became a two-way street with areas where motorists can quickly drop off passengers. All changes to the El Portal –Tracy Way area are temporary and can be easily restored back to their original design after the end of tourist season.

In addition to meeting with the merchants, the Department also held its annual pre-season bicycle meeting. City Staff met with representatives of the ferry companies, Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, Marin Bicycle Coalition, and the bicycle rental companies to discuss the upcoming tourist season. The main focus of this meeting was to address bicycle safety issues along with resident and merchant concerns.

Staff facilitated several discussions that stressed the importance of the rental companies providing proper bicycle safety instructions and rules of the road handouts to bicycle renters, requiring bicycle renters to wear helmets, parking bicycles in designated areas, and increasing the number of ferry trips during peak times. Staff has also requested that the ferry companies, Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, and the rental companies work together to increase the amount of staffing at the reservation kiosk and at the ferry dock.

With these changes and recommendations, along with on-going meetings with the Chamber of Commerce, merchants, citizens, ferry and bicycle rental companies, the City is working diligently to lessen the impact of bicycles in Sausalito.

LIBRARY

Special EventMarin Open Studios: Gabrielle Moore-Gordon
Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 - 11am to 6pm inside the Library

Marin Open Studios is an annual, free, self-guided art tour in Marin County that takes place the first two weekends in May. The Sausalito Public Library is proud to be hosting an artist in 2014, painter and Sausalito resident Gabrielle Moore-Gordon. Moore-Gordon's painting education began in Switzerland and continued for many years in Hong Kong. Her African up-bringing and a fascination with Eastern art techniques culminate in unusual and interesting work. This has helped her to express her deep concern, not only for the people of her troubled country, Zimbabwe, but also for the endangered wildlife of our planet. Her endeavor is to bring greater awareness to the plight of our vanishing wildlife and to the suffering in the country of her birth, as well as to the delights of the birds and wildlife in our own backyard in California.

Sausalito Library Speaker SeriesStars & Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ‘76
Thursday, May 8 - 7:00pm in the Council Chambers

America, 1976: colorful, complex, and combustible, a place of Bicentennial celebrations and busing riots, Olympic glory and Legionnaire’s Disease. On the diamond, the 1976 season witnessed the crowning of the Cincinnati “Big Red Machine” dynasty, George Steinbrenner's first World Series with the Yankees, and the heroics of Mike Schmidt, Mark Fidrych, and George Brett. Join us to hear journalist, pop-culture historian, and avid baseball fan Dan Epstein read from his new book from St. Martin’s Press, Stars & Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ’76.

Join us on May 4th for May the Force Be With You. Prepare for blast off with Jedi Training, galactic activities, and snacks from the Library’s Cantina. Perfect for ages 5 and up, but anyone interested in light speed travel and fighting the Dark Side is welcome.

PUBLIC WORKS

Preliminary Floodplain Maps Available for Review
On March 24, 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study documents to the City of Sausalito for community review and comment. The changes are expected to affect low-lying properties along the waterfront. Even if your property is not directly affected by the expected changes, the City recommends that you take a moment to recognize the potential for increasing areas of flood hazard as the sea level is expected to rise. Areas west of Bridgeway near Coloma, broad areas in the Marinship, areas along Bridgeway between Napa and Bay, and Bridgeway between Princess and Richardson are all identified as having the potential for flooding depths of less than 1 foot of water with a 1% annual chance. As sea level rises, those areas will increasingly be at risk for more frequent flood damage. The City has paper copies of the map panels and study volumes for review at the Community Development Department/Department of Public Works counter in City Hall (M-Th, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Fr, 7:30 AM to noon). The documents will also be available on the City’s website under Hot Topics and under City Departments » Public Works » FEMA Issued Flood Zone Maps. The preliminary documents are also available from FEMA’s Map Service Center portal at: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload/ (the relevant Sausalito panels are 06041C0507E, 06041C0526E, and 06041C0528E and the study volumes are 06041CV001C, 2C and 3C; an index map for all of Marin County is panel 06041CIND0C).

Citizens are encouraged to review the preliminary map panels and the study, identify errors or suggest corrections to road and place names and other non-technical comments, and provide the City’s Floodplain Administrator with those comments. Technical comments are also invited, but may require the services of an engineer with expertise in the process of developing a regulatory base flood elevation to be effective. Technical comments should also be addressed to the City’s Floodplain Administrator, Jonathon Goldman at 415-289-4176 and jgoldman@ci.sausalito.ca.us. The community will have 90 days to appeal FEMA’s proposed changes to base flood elevations, areas of special flood hazard or flood zone designations, so please comment and ask questions at your earliest possible convenience to ensure that you know the facts regarding property and improvements that will be affected by these changes.

Marin Host Families Sought for Japanese Teenagers this Summer
The Sausalito Sakaide Sister City Program is seeking families from Marin County who are interested in being host families for Japanese teenagers (aged 15 through 17 years), from July 24th through August 3rd, 2014.

This year’s student delegation from the City of Sakaide, Japan, will continue the tradition, now in its 26th year, of a cultural and educational exchange between the Cities of Sausalito and Sakaide. Every alternate summer students from Marin County have travelled to Sakaide, Japan and in the intervening years, students from the City of Sakaide have come to Marin County. During their 10-day stay, students are treated to a wide variety of experiences and activities, teaching them about life in the respective countries and making life-long connections and friends.

Anyone with a spare or shared bedroom can be a host family. Having children of any age in the home is always a plus, though not required. Japanese language skills are not necessary, as the students generally have a basic grasp of English. The primary responsibilities and expectations of a host family are transportation to and from Sausalito’s City Hall each day, provision of breakfast and dinner with the family, participation in the welcome and farewell parties and in the host families’ pot luck, and at least one full family day with the host student that illustrates our bay area family life. In addition, host families can participate in some of the program activities with the delegation should they choose to. If the past is any indicator, students become a part of their host family’s lives forever; both the students and host families cherish the memory of this experience.

For further information and for an application to be a host family, please contact EV Gilbreath at: egilbreath@comcast.net or call her at: 415 332-2282.

SAUSALITO ART FESTIVAL CALLS FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
For the 13th year, the Sausalito Art Festival Foundation (SAFF) will be granting art scholarships to Bay Area students. A total of $20,000 in scholarship funding will be awarded to a minimum of four students who are graduating high school seniors or currently enrolled in college.

In addition to the supporting documents required (transcripts, proof of enrollment, etc.) candidates will be asked to submit two written essays, including one on “How art has affected my life”. Ann Arnott, SAFF board member who chairs the scholarship committee said: “We’re looking for students with financial need, but also those who are inspired by art and have a vision of what it can do for others.” For applications, eligibility requirements and other details go to www.sausalitoartfestival.org, call 415.332.3555, or email lexi@sausalitoartfestival.org
Applications are due May 16th and will be evaluated by the SAFF Scholarship Committee. Winners will be notified June 6st.

The SAFF Scholarship Program supports the mission of the Sausalito Art Festival Foundation which is to encourage, promote and support the arts within the community. Funding for the scholarships is provided by proceeds from the Art Festival Gala and Silent Auction. Over $150,000 in scholarships has been gifted in the past 13 years and numerous recipients have gone on to have successful careers in art thanks to this valuable educational support.

TIP OF THE MONTH FROM YOUR BOARDS/COMMITTEES AND STAFF

from your Disaster Preparedness Committee

Guidelines for the Management of Water Supplies
During emergencies or disasters, the key aspects for managing your water supplies are:

Essentials

Water Resources

Water Treatment

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